Thomas Massie
Role at the time: U.S. representative from Kentucky, introducing articles of impeachment against the Secretary of Defense
Statement summary
In Article V of the impeachment resolution he introduced on September 15, Massie alleged that Hegseth subjected people "merely suspected of criminal conduct to lethal military force without judicial process" and "without establishing a lawful basis for treating such persons or vessels as military targets". The article also alleges that Hegseth's targeting guidelines "did not require the presence of weapons or narcotics on targeted vessels".
“By subjecting persons merely suspected of criminal conduct to lethal military force without judicial process, without Congressional authorization, and without establishing a lawful basis for treating such persons or vessels as military targets, Secretary Hegseth arrogated to himself and the Executive Branch the roles of judge, jury, and executioner and asserted a unilateral power to determine who may live and who may die. … did not require the presence of weapons or narcotics on targeted vessels alleged to be smuggling narcotics in association with a DTO.”
Text of the eight articles of impeachment that Rep. Thomas Massie introduced against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Article V concerns the strikes on vessels alleged to be smuggling narcotics, including the legal basis for them and the targeting guidelines.
Why we used this label
Measured against the campaign the September 19 strike belongs to and the government's stated basis that those aboard are narcotraffickers, Massie's article alleges that the strike campaign lacked a lawful basis for treating vessels as military targets and that the targeting guidelines did not require narcotics aboard. That rejects the legal footing for the strikes, which is a condemnation instead of a dispute over a label.